Foreign and Commonwealth Office

India: Demonstrations

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India to establish independent inquiries into the (1) repression of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens,(2) attacks by police on students in the Jami Millia University and the Aligarh Muslim University on 15 December 2019, and (3) killing of at least 28 protesters.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India's response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India where we have them. Most recently, I discussed the CAA with India's Ministry of External Affairs on 25 February. The British High Commission in New Delhi also raised our concerns about the Act, and the police response to protests, with the State Government of Uttar Pradesh on 7 February.The UK has long regarded protest as a key part of democratic society. Democratic governments must have the power to enforce law and order when a protest crosses the line into illegality; yet we encourage all states to ensure their domestic laws are enforced in line with international standards. Any allegation of human rights abuses is deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly, and transparently.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rights of Way: Registration

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any decisions about extending the 2026 deadline for registering historic rights of way; and if not, when they expect to make such a decision.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises the need for sufficient time to register public rights of way before the cut-off date. Stakeholder views on whether there is a need to extend the deadline are mixed and will be taken into account, although no decision has yet been taken. We intend to consult the Stakeholder Working Group on rights of way reform before we make a decision.